Origin and history of toilet

1530s, also toilette, earliest in English in a now-obsolete sense of "cover or bag for clothes," from French toilette "a cloth; a bag for clothes," diminutive of toile "cloth, net" (see toil (n.2)).

Toilet acquired an association with upper class dressing by 18c., through the specific sense of "fine cloth cover on the dressing table for the articles spread upon it;" thence applied to the articles, collectively, used in dressing (mirror, bottles, brushes, combs, etc.).

Subsequent sense evolution in English (mostly following French uses) is "act or process of dressing," especially the dressing and powdering of the hair (1680s). This led to the common 18c. sense of "fashionable reception of visitors by a lady during the finishing stages of her toilette." Thence, "a dressing room" (by 1819), especially one with a lavatory attached; thence "lavatory or porcelain plumbing fixture" (1895), an American euphemistic use.

Thus toilet-brush, from 1897 as a device used in washing and grooming the nails and hands; by 1976 as a device to scrub the scum out of a dirty lavatory bowl. Toilet-water was "perfumed liquid for the toilette" (1855). Toilet paper is attested from 1884 (the Middle English equivalent was arse-wisp). Toilet-training is recorded from 1940.